Tiki Black's Song Reviews

Tiki Black's Information

About Us:
'The voice is the instrument that
draws us in, it can challenge or
comfort us, awaken us or lull us,
inspire or reassure. Tiki Black has a
voice that can do all of this and
more…Warm, embracing and timeless'.
Spiral Earth
'Tiki Black is the perfect poster
child for what it means to be a
genuine Indie performer . Black’s
music speaks to a generation that
needs a voice that knows their pain,
joy, achievements, failures, and
struggles. She sings from the heart,
and Black’s music pours out her soul
to her listeners…this publication is
in love with this artist's music'.
Junior's Cave
'Songs that tug at the heartstrings
without ever giving the impression
they were written purely to do so'.
Glasswerk
Sometimes an artist emerges with a
sound so different that it’s hard to
figure out where it came from. Tiki
Black is such an enigma, her unique
voice and expressive keyboard style
having led some to compare her to the
poetic, soulful sound of Nina Simone
or the narrative lyricism of Leonard
Cohen. When you delve a little deeper
into her background you realise this
was never going to be someone who
fitted easily into genre labels.
Born in Paris to Cameroonian parents,
family hardship required her to be
self-reliant from an early age.
Constantly moving around and shifting
between both countries, music provided
a precious haven of consistency in her
life. Tiki treasured the resonance she
found in Cameroonian artists such as
Manu Dibango and Eboa Lotin, and
opened herself to the melancholic
beauty of French Chanson, an influence
also on the likes of Scott Walker,
Terry Hall and Elvis Costello.
Furthermore, when at the age of 14 she
discovered there was a piano in her
new school in Paris, she immersed
herself in a musical instruction book
donated by a friend and discovered the
work of Chopin.
While the upheaval of regularly moving
around proved unsettling, it also led
her to embrace and explore music as a
world beyond borders or boundaries.
During a period of her childhood spent
in Africa in the port of Douala, she
fondly recalls hearing music from
far-flung places like Latin and North
America and going to watch Bollywood
or Chinese films in local cinemas.
Later she would reverently translate
and study the lyrics of artists as
diverse as Caetano Veloso, Bob Marley,
Herbert Grönemeyer and John Lennon. As
Tiki reflects, 'If my music starts
from personal experiences, it draws
more universal lessons by looking
across time and place at similar
situations and emotions.'
Now resident in Manchester, Tiki’s
stunning debut album ‘Out Of The
Black’ on NO Sugar addEd Records is a
remarkable collection of songs that
celebrate both the strength and
fragility of the human spirit.
Enhanced by a delicate blend of
Western and African rhythmic and
stringed instruments, the songs and
arrangements convey a
singer-songwriter who has the ability
to frame her music and lyrics in
meticulous and intricate detail
without ever losing an intense,
twilight intimacy with the listener.

Two sides of musical and
literal mortality.
"Always in conflict, I am
never in balance, I have
the fear of life - the
value of life, ever
ending cycle of life." If
you've ever gained
strength from living life
in the shadows, then
check out our new multi
genre videos "Ever Ending
Cycle Of Life..." (the
Fear of Life) & (the
Value of Life). Let us
know what you think of
them [be kind]. Thanks,
Paul.

TELL EVERY ONE ABOUT
IMRadio -- Got to
thinking. What if each of
us independent musicians
told our family, friends,
fans and acquaintances
about IMRadio.com, how
besides the main
stations, it has stations
for each of the states
individually, 75
countries, and just about
every musical genre --
reaching any internet
connection around the
world. We could tell them
in person, on the
internet or at small or
large venues. Anyone we
tell would appreciate the
convenience of such good
music from independent
musicians on their
computer. It would be
such a good way to help
all of us reach even more
listeners. With IMRadio,
we aren't just waiting at
the mercy of some major
label to decide whether
or not they will let us
be heard around the
world. There are enough
of us that the outreach
could be exponential.
And, wouldn't it be a
great way to say 'thank
you' to Paddy and all of
the other fine folks who
have put IMRadio.com on
the world's musical map.
They have put in money,
time, energy and
dedication, and all they
have asked of us in
return is to upload our
music and profile. I am
sure that they have great
plans to publicize
IMRadio and bring it to
even more listeners. In
the meantime, though,
wouldn't it be great if
we could all help a
little by just taking a
little time each day to
tell family, friends,
fans and acquaintances
about IMRadio. It
wouldn't cost a dime,
just a little time.
Yours, in Musical
Solidarity, Paul.

2011-01-03 at
11:43:47

We dig hearing your songs
in IMRadio's radio
rotation! Thanks for
supporting our new radio
station! Peace, Veronica